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<!DOCTYPE html>

<head>

<title>Learning Programming - Full Stack Python</title>

<!--[if lt IE 9]>

<![endif]-->

</head>

<body>

<span class="logo-title"><a href="/">Full Stack Python</a></span>

</div>

</div><div class="row">

<h1>Learning Programming</h1>

<p>Learning to program is about understanding how to translate thoughts into

source code that can be executed on computers to achieve one or more goals.</p>

<p>There are many steps in learning how to program, including</p>

<ol>

<li>setting up a <a href="/development-environments.html">development environment</a></li>

<li>selecting a programming language, such as Python</li>

<li>understanding the syntax and commands for the language</li>

<li>writing code in the language, often using

<a href="/application-dependencies.html">pre-existing code libraries</a> and

<a href="/web-frameworks.html">frameworks</a></li>

<li>executing the program</li>

<li>debugging errors and unexpected results</li>

<li><a href="/deployment.html">deploying</a> an application so it can run for intended

users</li>

</ol>

<h2>How should I learn programming?</h2>

<p>There are several schools of thought on how a person should start learning

to program. One school of thought is that a lower-level programming

language such as Assembly or C are the most appropriate languages to start

with because they force new developers to write their own data structures,

learn about pointers and generally work their way through the hard problems

in computer science.</p>

<p>There's certainly wisdom in this "low-level first" philosophy because it

forces a beginner to gain a strong foundation before moving on to higher

level topics such as web and mobile application development. This philosophy

is the one most commonly used in university computer science programs.</p>

<p>The atomic units of progress in the "low-level first" method of learning are </p>

<ol>

<li>aspects of programming language understood (type systems, syntax)</li>

<li>number of data structures coded and able to be used (stacks, queues)</li>

<li>algorithms in a developer's toolbelt (quicksort, binary search)</li>

</ol>

<p>Another school of thought is that new developers should bootstrap

themselves through working on projects in whatever programming language

interests them enough to keep working through the frustrations that will

undoubtably occur.</p>

<p>In this "project-based" line of thinking, the number of projects completed

that expand a programmer's abilities are the units of progress. Extra value

is placed on making the projects open source and working with experienced

mentors to learn what he or she can improve on in their programs. </p>

<h2>Should I learn Python first?</h2>

<p>Python is good choice in the project-based approach because of the extensive

availability of

<a href="/best-python-resources.html">free and low cost introductory resources</a>,

many of which provide example projects to build upon.</p>

<p>Note that this question of whether or not Python is a good first language

for an aspiring programmer is highly subjective and these approaches are

not mutually exclusive. Python is also widely taught in universities to

explain the fundamental concepts in computer science, which is in line

with the "low-level first" philosophy than the projects-first method.</p>

<p>In a nutshell, whether Python is the right first programming language to

learn is up to your own learning style and what feels right. If Ruby or Java

seem like they are easier to learn than Python, go for those languages.

Programming languages, and the ecosystems around them, are human-made

constructs. Find one that appears to match your personal style and give it a

try, knowing that whatever you choose you'll need to put in many long days and

nights to really get comfortable as a software developer.</p>

<h3>What do you want to learn about programming?</h3>

<p class="under-btn">What editor should I use to code my Python app?</p> </div>

</div>

<p class="under-btn">Why is Python a good programming language to use?</p> </div>

</div>

<p class="under-btn">Show me a list of the best Python learning resources.</p> </div>

</div>

</div> <div id="mc_embed_signup">

<h4>Sign up here to receive an email with major updates to this site and Python tutorials delivered to your inbox once a month.</h4>

</div>

</div>

</form>

</div>

<p style="font-size: .8em; margin-top: 10px;">Searching for a complete, step-by-step deployment walkthrough? Learn more about <a href="http://www.deploypython.com/">The Full Stack Python Guide to Deployments book</a>.

</p>

</div>

</div> <div class="panel panel-success">

<h3 class="panel-head"><a href="/table-of-contents.html" style="color: #fff;">Table of Contents</a></h3>

</div>

<a href="/introduction.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Introduction</a>

<a href="/learning-programming.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item active" style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Learning Programming</a>

<a href="/why-use-python.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Why Use Python?</a>

<a href="/best-python-resources.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Best Python Resources</a>

<a href="/best-python-videos.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Best Python Videos</a>

<a href="/enterprise-python.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Enterprise Python</a>

<a href="/development-environments.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Development Environments</a>

<a href="/emacs.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Emacs</a>

<a href="/generators.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Generators</a>

<a href="/comprehensions.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Comprehensions</a>

<a href="/web-frameworks.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Web Frameworks</a>

<a href="/django.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Django</a>

<a href="/flask.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Flask</a>

<a href="/bottle.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Bottle</a>

<a href="/pyramid.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Pyramid</a>

<a href="/morepath.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Morepath</a>

<a href="/other-web-frameworks.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Other Web Frameworks</a>

<a href="/web-design.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Web Design</a>

<a href="/cascading-style-sheets.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Cascading Style Sheets</a>

<a href="/javascript.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>JavaScript</a>

<a href="/websockets.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>WebSockets</a>

<a href="/web-application-security.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Web Application Security</a>

<a href="/static-site-generator.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Static Site Generator</a>

<a href="/databases.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Databases</a>

<a href="/no-sql-datastore.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>NoSQL Data Stores</a>

<a href="/object-relational-mappers-orms.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Object-relational Mappers (ORMs)</a>

<a href="/application-programming-interfaces.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Application Programming Interfaces</a>

<a href="/api-integration.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>API Integration</a>

<a href="/api-creation.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>API Creation</a>

<a href="/deployment.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Deployment</a>

<a href="/servers.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Servers</a>

<a href="/platform-as-a-service.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Platform-as-a-service</a>

<a href="/operating-systems.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Operating Systems</a>

<a href="/web-servers.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Web Servers</a>

<a href="/wsgi-servers.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>WSGI Servers</a>

<a href="/source-control.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Source Control</a>

<a href="/application-dependencies.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Application Dependencies</a>

<a href="/static-content.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Static Content</a>

<a href="/task-queues.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Task Queues</a>

<a href="/configuration-management.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Configuration Management</a>

<a href="/continuous-integration.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Continuous Integration</a>

<a href="/logging.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Logging</a>

<a href="/monitoring.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Monitoring</a>

<a href="/web-analytics.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Web Analytics</a>

<a href="/docker.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Docker</a>

<a href="/caching.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Caching</a>

<a href="/code-metrics.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Code Metrics</a>

<a href="/what-full-stack-means.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>What "Full Stack" Means</a>

<a href="/change-log.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Change Log</a>

<a href="/future-directions.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>Future Directions</a>

<a href="/about-author.html" class="list-group-item smaller-item " style='font-family: "Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;'>About the Author</a>

</div>

</p>

</div>

</div> <div class="panel panel-success">

<div class="panel-heading"><h3 class="panel-head">Learning Programming</h3></div>

Major updates are tweeted via

<a href="https://twitter.com/fullstackpython">@fullstackpython</a>.

<hr/>

Need more detailed tutorials than you see here?

<a href="http://www.deploypython.com/">Learn more about The Full Stack Python Guide to Deployments book.</a>

</div>

</div></div>

<hr/>

<a href="http://www.mattmakai.com/" class="underline">Matt Makai</a>

2015

</div>

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